Slipknot Confession: ‘We Listen to Journey Before We Play’

Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan has revealed that reality and the public's image of metal stars are often at odds. For example, guess what the outrageously theatrical band does to get pumped up before their shows? Listen to Journey.

Crahan, who is known for the clown-face costume he wears onstage, recently revealed this backstage secret while on a Pollstar Live! panel. Townsquare Media's own Josh Bernstein moderated the discussion on how hip hop and metal moved into the mainstream. Along with Live Nation's Rich Best, 5B Artist Management's Cory Brennan, UTA's Bex Majors, Trillectro's Modi Oyewole, Danny Wimmer and rapper Coolio, Crahan revealed that perception is not always truth.

While Bernstein asserted that there's a stigma attached to both genres even though there are "no virgin sacrifices or heads of bats being bitten off," Crahan was quick to bring up Ozzy Osbourne's real-life 1982 bat-biting incident. "The bat happened in Des Moines, Iowa, where I was born. It did happen for real," but agreed that much of the other hype is fictitious. Band members all wear costumes suited for Halloween, but there's nothing dangerous about the culture, he said.

"We listen to Journey before we play. And you can ask the hardest metalhead what they listen to, and they’ll tell you the Beatles, Journey, Michael Bolton, whatever," he said. "When we’re dealing with our festivals, we expect people to be themselves and not give in to pressure of scenes. We’ve done a Knotfest where we’ve had Tech N9ne, Ghostface Killah, all these great artists. And our fans – we’re not a band anymore, we’re a culture – I expect them to love what they’re being handed, and they are thankful, because they’re like: it’s about time.

"I think the industry confuses it. Everyone loves music, and not everyone is embarrassed to say so," he added.